1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a temperature sensitive and self-actuating drip valve device attachably secured to any standard outdoor faucet which at cold temperatures will enable a slow flow of fluid to exit through the outdoor faucet so as to prevent freezing to occur with the water pipes leading to the faucet.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is ubiquitously recognized that during extreme cold conditions in order to prevent water lines from freezing, and innately bursting the particular line, water must be allowed to drip, generally slowly, from the external facet attached to the pipe. Unfortunately, some may not realize that they are experiencing a freeze, and thus fail to activate the water source. Others may simply forget to activate their water line during cold weather condition while some may be away on vacations, and thus physically unable to do so. Whatever the reason, there exists a need to have an external water line automatically activated when the temperature decreases and approaches freezing conditions.
To address this problem, several device have been fabricated which can attach to an external facet and enable water flow during extreme cold condition. Once such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,601 issued to Chamberlin. In this patent there is disclose a self-actuating drip valve comprising a tube having a collar at one end for securing to the end of the faucet. Located within the tube is a stem, which when secured, will be adjacent to the facet. Water flow is accomplished via one or more ports, which extend between the faucet and the interior of the tube. The tube and the stem are fabricated from two different material, each having a different coefficient of expansion. Thus, when the outside ambient temperature drops, the tube and stem contract at different rates and the relative movement opens the orifice in the distal end of the tube so as to enable water to drip therethrough. This device, though efficient, does suffer some drawbacks. One drawback is that the device appears to be exceeding long in length, thereby, providing for an overall structure, which may be cumbersome, if not awkward to install. Such an excess length provides a device, which is not aesthetically pleasing. An aesthetically pleasing product, even on a faucet, is a feature that is a necessity with many homeowners today. Yet another drawback is with the use of two different types of materials have different coefficients of expansions. If not precisely placed and secured, the apparatus will not work. Accidentally dropping the device may cause one of the elements made of a different coefficient of expansion to become displaced or bend, thus causing a malfunctioning of the apparatus, rendering it useless.
Accordingly, it is seen that there is a need for an apparatus designed and configured to enable water to drip from an exterior facet as the temperature approaches freezing. The device should be structure so as to be simple in design and to include a minimal amount of components, so as to innately reduce and/or eliminate the possibility of component failure.
As will be seen, the present invention achieves its intended purposes, objectives and advantages, by accomplishing the needs as identified above, through a new, useful and unobvious combination of component elements, which is simple to use, with the utilization of a minimum number of functioning parts, at a reasonable cost to manufacture, assemble, test and by employing only readily available material.